The Ravaging
by eG x Foxtrot
Summary: When the world goes to nothing, James Smith made it out alive, as one of the few survivors. But when his supplies begin to dwindle, will he find help from a group of survivors, or will he continue to fight for survival in a world with nothing to live for?
1. Chapter 1 - Into the Fog

** Chapter 1 - Into The Fog**

**AN- Well, I tried writing a fanfiction once before, and well, I got lost. With this, I'm hoping to continue all the way through. James is my OC, and I've used him before, so yeah. Anyway, I hope you readers will support me and PLEASE review. Y'all don't know how much that helps. Thanks. and enjoy the story.**

_Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding_

"Shit," James curses and looks down at his dusty dashboard. He'd been running on empty for the past few days, only managing to scavenge a few gallons of gas here and there before getting over run.

He lets his truck roll to a stop before looking out into the darkness. _No sign of 'em_, he thinks to himself. Up ahead, through the dense fog, he notices the faint outline of a mid-sized vehicle.

The wind howls agianst the side of his truck, and a clap of thunder rolls across the sky. "Couldn't get better," he says sarcastically to himself. He reaches over to the passanger side and grabs his AR-15. He pulls out the clip and checks his ammo. James had just gotten the weapon before the shit hit the fan. Fully equipped with a flashlight, foregrip, and a silencer he had scavenged, the weapon was a commmodity in the new, screwed up world.

He reaches into the backseat and grabs three spare clips of ammo, carfully tucking into a pocket on his camoflauged cargo pants. Checking once more near the driver side of his truck, he reaches for the handle, only to pull his hand back as a loud clap of thunder roars across the sky. After mumbling a few curse words, he opens the door and allows the cool fall air to fill the cab.

"Another day, more shit I don't wanna do," he groans and slides out of the seat and onto the damp pavement. He draws his AR to his shoulder and scans the area around his truck, not wanting to encounter "them".

By "them", referring to the dead. Or undead. Whatever people preffered to call them. James had heard them called a little of everything, but the one that stuck most in his mind was walkers. Not walkers as in people in a park, no, id only. People who had been bitten, hell, even scratched, doesnt matter, you catch the virus, your as good as done. First the fever gets you, it takes your body out. Then, like in the movies, your near lifelss corpse comes back to life and walks around with one thing on its mind, food.

Not normal food, but more like flesh. Mostly anything that lives, but humans are their favorite. James was one of the few, if not the only, survivor on the planet gone to hell. A couple of months ago, it all started, and James was one of the first ones that heard about it. He packed up and rolled out. slowly, everything went to shit. First was the gas, then water. Last to go was electricity. Even now, your overly lucky if you find any of these commodities working.

James shakes the thoughts from his head. The same thing every time he stops for gas. Memories on how it used to be. Memories on how it will never be again. James scans the area again, and upon deeming it safe, he steps towards the back of the truck. He lowers his weapon to his side and reaches into the bed of the truck, retrieving his red five gallon gas tank.

James takes a few breaths, AR in one hand, gas can and siphon pump in the other, and starts towards the car, his trucks headlights lighting the way through the fog. He scans the area around himself, periodically doing 360's to watch his back. He moves quickly, his footfalls making little noise on the damp pavement. Slowly, his target, the car, creeps more and more into view.

Seconds later, he reaches the car, and flicks on his AR's flashlight. He stops by the trunk and quietly sets his gas can down, not wanting to attract any walkers possibly in the area. He draws his gun up and searches around the car, taking the time to search inside. Upon deaming the car clear of threats for the time being, he reaches for the handle and pulls.

"Son of a bitch," he curses, yanking at the locked handle. He looks up and around the car a few times, and smashes the buttstock into the window. "Gotta make this quick."

James reaches into the car and pops the trunk and the gas cap. The hairs on the neck stand up and he freezes, hearing a slight moan, he flips off the safety and spins around. A walker, most of its face missing, and only one arm, decends on him. He stumbles back, hitting the car, not enough space to draw his gun up.

The walker moans and reaches its one arm towards James. He dodges the disentigrating arm and smashes the butt of his weapon into the walkers chest, causing it to lose balance and fall backwards. James quickly draws his gun back up and fires a single silenced shot into the struggling walkers head.

James takes in a breath and looks around, not wanting any more to show up. After several checks, he moves towards the rear of the car and grabs his gas can, his movements quick and choppy because of the adrinaline. He unscrews the gas cap and slides the clear siphon pump down into the gas tank. After a few pumps, the satisfying sound of gas flowing into the container fills the air.

As the gas flows, he opens the trunk, standing back, using the barrel of his gun to lift the hood. He shines his flashlight into the trunk, and upon finding it empty, lets out a few silent curses. When everything went downhill, James had a stockpile of canned foods and bottled water. Now, two months into the apocalypse, his supplies dwindled. He had a few canned foods left, and almost no water. James sighs.

James takes a step back and checks the area again. He stops, hearing a sound. He pulls his AR closer and takes a few steps towards, a long over due clap of thunder accomanying his quiet footsteps. "Sophia?" James looks deeper into the woods, now standing on the edge, no longer on the safety of the road.

He looks behind him one last time and steps into the dark woods, his trucks headlights doing very little to light his way. James searches every visible part of the forest, his rifle scanning the woods ahead. "Sophia?" He hears again, the voice now much louder and nearby. His heart begins racing as he travels further into the woods.

Last time James encountered people, real living people, things almost went terribly terribly wrong. The encounter almost prevented his most recent trip to Atlanta to fail miserably. James shakes his head, returning to the task at hand. He does a quick 360 and continues foward.

A moan causes James to stop, and he raises his gun to his face, looking down the sights, right at a walker. James fires, the silent shot covered up by a clap of thunder. Without the silencer he had found, he probably wouldn't be alive. One gunshot. Thats all it takes to have walkers all over you. Its a must have.

James checks his watch, and stops. what felt like an eternity had only been five minutes of walking. He stops and leans against a large oak, squinting back in the direction of the road, trying to spot his trucks headlights. He sighs. Whatever he heard was probably to far away anyway. He pushes himself off the tree and spins around, directly into the chest of a walker. Or not. The buttstock off a weapon smashes James across the face. He falls to the ground and blacks out.

**AN- Well there we go. I feel like it sucked... But I don't know. Go ahead and let me know what you think. It'll help me a lot. I want to see if I should continue this. Just let me know! Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2 - The Encounter

**AN- Well, I'm back. Couldn't help it. I had a whole 15 views, but hey, lemme just try a bit more. Get chapter two written, hope you few readers like it! Thanks. Review for me!**

**Chapter 2 - The Encounter**

"Rick you don't know him. None of us do. He could be a danger to the group," James hears a female voice. He opens his eyes, his face stinging from the blow he took earlier. He tries to bring his hand towards his face, only to find himself restrained by a pair of silver handcuffs.

"Lori, I'm not trying to take sides, but maybe we should see how he is. He might be a little mad at Daryl though," says an older mans voice.

"Well I wasn't 'bout to let 'em shoot me," replies another male voice. James looks around, taking in his surroundings. An RV, decent sized. He was in restrained to the bed in what appeared to be the back. He lifts his head, trying to catch a glimpse of the people talking in the front. "'Ey look, he's up."

A man, tall with a slender frame, dressed in a police uniform, walks into the small room where James was being held. James meets his gaze. "Holy shit!" James gasps.

"Hey man! Shut the hell up!" yells another man who had entered the room. He points a crossbow at James' face.

"Daryl. Calm down. I know this man," the officer tells the other guy. He keeps his crossbow pointed at James. The officer reaches over and unlocks the handcuffs. James rubs his wrists and stands up in front of the officer.

"Rick Grimes. Damn has it been a while," James says, stretching his hand out for a handshake. The crossbow guy, Daryl, keeps his crossbow aimed at James. "Man will you chill the hell out with that thing?"

Rick takes James' hand and gives it a firm shake. Daryl lets out an irritated huff and exits towards the front of the RV. "Don't mind him. He doesn't take lightly to new comers," says the old man, who had now entered the room. "Welcome to my RV. Dale Horvath."

James shakes Dale's hand. His eyebrows high on his head, Dale adjusts his bucket hat. "James Smith. nice to meet people who aren't trying to kill me. Or eat me for that matter."

Dale and Rick both let out a slight chuckle. James looks down the hallway towards the front of the RV, his gaze catching another familiar face. Her mouth slightly agape, she walks towards James.

"I cannot believe I didn't recognize you!" Lori exclaims. James gives her a hug, her talking into his chest. "Its been so long."

"What, two years?" Rick questions, rubbing his jaw in thought. He nods his head after a second. "Damn. Well its good to see a familiar face. Especially one that hits so close to home."

_Two damn years,_ James thinks. Back when things were normal. Also the last time James had spoken to his brother after they'd fought. "I have to apologize, Rick," James says. Rick looks up, a questioning look on his face. "For two years ago."

"Oh... Yeah. Look James, forget it. I'm not even worried about it. I made you mad, you said things. Whatever. I'm just glad your alive, and here, with us. In this world, its nice to have a few things to be happy about."

James looks down at the shag carpet of the RV. He looks back up with a smile, drawing his brother in for a hug. "Come meet the rest of the group James," Lori says, breaking the two apart. She gestures towards the door and James follows her out. Looking around at all the dilapidated cars, James sighs. "We've been caught up on the highway for a couple days."

"I see that. This RV all you guys have?" James asks. Lori shakes her head.

"No, definitely not. All of us would not fit in that damn thing. We'd go crazy." Lori jokes. James looks to his left, over his shoulder, and spots an older woman sitting next to the camper, her head in her hands. Next to her sits a larger dark skinned man, his hand on her back, mumbling a few words. "That's carol. She lost her little girl yesterday. Sophia."

Sophia. That rang a bell in James' mind. That was the name he heard being called out in the forest. Makes sense now. Little girl was lost. James shakes his head. "That's sad." James says, looking away, back at Lori and Rick.

"The guy next to Carol is T-Dog. Good guy." Rick informs James. He nods. Just as they turn around, two men walk around the front of the RV, the shorter asian carrying some sort of hose.

"You guys seen Dale? Found a hose that might fit," says the taller guy, a shotgun in his hand. He eyes James. "By god. James Smith?"

"Shane Walsh. Damn you look like shit!" James Says, laughing as he gives Shane a one armed hug. Rick and James' best friend. _Man this day actually ain't half bad_, James thinks.

"As I always do," Shane jokes back. He pats the shorter guys shoulder. "Guess your around meeting everyone. This here's Glenn."

"Nice to meet you," Glenn smiles, taking off his hat and offering a hand shake. James shakes his hand. "Have you guys seen Dale?"

"He's in the RV, Glenn. I believe." Tick tells him. Glenn walks to the RV door and pokes his head inside before stepping in. James lets out a sigh of relief. Not only had he found his Brother and Sister-in-law, but his best friend was there too. Not bad for the shitty world they live in.

"Hey what's all the commotion down there?" questions a female voice. James looks towards the source, using his hand to block out the sun, he looks up at the RV. He sees a blonde woman looking down, a scoped hunting rifle slung over her shoulder. She smiles at James. "Hey new guy. Glad to see you met the crew. I'm Andrea."

"Nice to meet you Andrea. Actually I knew most of the crew. Rick is my brother." James tells her. She tilts her head letting out an "ah".

"Well you guys have fun. Gotta make sure I stay up here. Don't want a repeat of earlier," She whispers, not wanting to be overheard. She smiles again and returns to her post.

"What happened earlier?" James asks, trying to keep his voice down. Rick jerks his head away from the RV and James follows. "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Just don't want to say this around Carol. yesterday, a herd of them came through," Rick tells him. James gives him a questioning look. "Walkers. Several dozen of them. We all were scattered and had to hide under cars. Carol's girl, Sophia, wasn't as lucky. She got chased into the woods. Daryl and I tried to follow her, but we lost her trail. Carol is really upset about it, obviously."

"Damn... That's terrible man. My condolences to her. Is that where Daryl went? To look for her?" James asks, looking around for any sight of the redneck.

"Most likely. He wanted to try to pick her trail up again today. Maybe he did," Rick says, shrugging his shoulders. "By the way, how did you get all the way down here to Atlanta? No way that piece of shit car got you down here."

James shakes his head laughing a little. "No I got rid of that rust bucket. Got the truck I always wanted."

"Really? That's great. That means you got yourself outta debt?" Rick questions. James sulks his head. "Oh, sorry James. But hey! Guess what? No bill collectors!"

"Oh haha," James laughs sarcastically, punching his brother jokingly in the shoulder. "Anyway, long story short, I got my truck. It's still back there where I got kidnapped. Rick, I've gotta get that truck back. It's got to many supplies to leave."

"Don't worry. I know you. God knows how much shit you have in that truck. Come here real quick," Rick says, leading him to a car parked behind the RV. He reaches in th backseat and pulls out James' weapon. He hands it to him. "That silencer. Your damned lucky to have that. One shot and they're all over you."

"Yeah, no shit," James tells him, pulling the charging handle on his gun. Rick reaches into the vehicle again and pulls out another weapon. James pats his side pocket, and looks up at Rick. Rick gives him a half smile.

"I'm a cop. You gotta know I'd check you for weapons," Rick says. James shakes his head and holds up a finger.

"But you didn't recognize me?" James asks, confused.

"Well I didn't search you, Daryl did. He wasn't taking any chances. But I told him he probably should." A rustling sound from the woods causes James and Rick to spin around, drawing there weapons. Rick points his revolver towards the sound, James bringing up his six. Daryl walks out of the woods, his crossbow dangling at his side. He holds up his hands.

"Woah fella's. Ain't done nothing wrong have I?" He asks. They lower their weapons.

"Find anything?" Rick questions, holstering his pistol.

"Not much. Got a trail, but I lost it." He looks at James. "You gave this sonava bitch his gun back?"

"Yes Daryl, I did. He's my brother. I trust this man with my life." Daryl lets out a sarcastic laugh.

"Look man, if you got a problem, you best tell me now. I don't want any problems," James tells Daryl, getting in his face.

"Look you motherf..."

"Dad look!" a young boy comes running up, interrupting the conversation. Daryl gives James a look and walks off. The boy looks at James. "Uncle James?"

"Hey Carl! Long time no see buddy! Wow you've gotten big!" James says, rustling the boys hair. He smiles.

"Whatcha got there son?" Rick asks, knealing in front of his son. Carl hands a small box to Rick. "Forty four bullets. Thanks son. I needed some. Now go back into the RV for me. Find your mom. I don't want you roaming around alone again."

Carl nods and walks off towards the RV. "That boy has grown up," James tells him. Rick nods.

"Pain in the ass is what he is, but I love him," Rick says, leaning against a burnt-out car.

"Rick, I've gotta go get my truck." James says, looking back down the highway. Rick nods in agreement. Glenn and Daryl walk towards the group.

"I'm going with Daryl to look for Sophia," Glenn says. Rick shakes his head.

"No, no. James needs to get his truck. He has some useful stuff in his truck. We need to find Sophia to, then get the hell off this highway. Here's what were gonna do."

**AN- Well. There we go. I don't know. I know it was kinda slow, but I gotta intro everyone. Let me know what you think. Leave me some reviews. Thanks guys.**


	3. Chapter 3 - Your Worst Enemy

**AN- Well, don't have to many views, but I'm gonna keep writing. Takes time I guess. Any way, review please? Maybe? Thanks c:**

**Chapter 3 - Your Worst Enemy**

"You see it? Right there?" Glenn asks, pointing down the street. James looks out the window.

"Yeah. It's just one. No big problem," James replies, flipping his AR's safety off. He rolls down the window of Daryl's truck, and leans out.

"Can you hit it from here? That's quite a distance," Glenn tells him. James nods, positioning himself to fire. James lines up his shot and squeezes the trigger, sending a silent shot down the street and into the lone walkers brain. "Wow. Nice shot!"

Earlier, James and Glenn had left the group to retrieve James's truck. Under a lot of argument and debate, Rick finally convinced Daryl to let them take his truck. Rick, Lori, Carl, Daryl, Andrea, and Shane all went to look for Sophia in the woods.

The plan was for Glenn and James to get in and get out, no problems, but Daryl's truck didn't agree. On the way, it began backfiring loudly, attracting the attention of several walkers. So, to prevent further problems, they cut it off.

James opens the truck door and climbs out, keeping an eye on every inch of the forest. Glenn steps around the truck and stands next to him.

"So, now what? Daryl is gonna kill you," Glenn tells James. Jams looks at the young asian.

"Well I guess he'll just have to get over it, now won't he? He's got his bike. Besides, my truck is better, and newer. He'll be fine. Now come on. If I remember correctly, before Daryl knocked me out, my trucks at mile marker 75. We passed 74 a little further back, so maybe just up that hill."

The sound of bells fills the air and the two look around. "What's that? You think that's them?" Glenn looks around frantically.

"Rick's not stupid. He wouldn't go attracting the entire forest of walkers. I'm not sure what it is though." James starts walking up the road, his AR hanging at his side. Glenn looks around and runs up to James. The bells stop, and the woods around them fall silent. James picks up his pace to jog.

Glenn keeps a steady pace with James, their footfalls quiet against the heated pavement. James slows to a walk, and stops to wipe the sweat from his brow. "You ok?" He asks Glenn.

"Yeah," Glenn says, breathing a little heavy. "What did you do... before the apocalypse?"

"Military. Three years across seas. Honorable discharge for injury. Purple heart and everything," James tells him. Glenn stops next to him and pats him on the shoulder.

"Wow, that's crazy. So you have real military training and everything?" Glenn asks. James nods and runs his hand through his hair. Glenn's eyes widen, and James raises an eyebrow. Glenn points behind James.

James draws up his AR and spins around, dropping to his knee, ready to fire. In the woods, several yards up, stands a dozen or so walkers, completely oblivious to the fact that dinner was walking past them. James slowly stands and grabs Glenn's wrist, quietly walking further down the road, not wanting to draw the walkers attention.

The two reach the top of the hill unnoticed and look down the highway. A small silver car sits about 100 yards in front of them. A bit further back, James truck, door still open, with two walkers next to it. James nudges Glenn with his elbow and points. Glenn nods.

POW!

The sound of a nearby gunshot causes James to jump. To their right, a small group of walkers emerges from the woods.

"Shit! Come on lets go!" James orders, taking off in a sprint. Glenn follows, looking over his shoulder at the slow moving walkers. James skids to a halt next to the silver car, its driver side window shattered.

"What are you doing? Come on!" Glenn yells at him, looking around at the small group of walkers limping towards them.

"You know why my damn truck is sitting there? Cause I'm out of gas. Here," James hands Glenn his AR. "Cover me. And don't miss!"

Glenn puts the weapon to his shoulder, never having used one before. He pulls the trigger twice, both shots missing the nearest walker. It snaps its jaw at Glenn and starts moving faster. Glenn adjusts his aim, and fires again. The bullet exits the end of the silencer and enters the walkers head, right between the eyes. It fall to the ground.

James screws on the lid of his five gallon gas tank and heaves it up. Glenn fires a few more shots, getting more comfortable with the weapon. Several more walkers drop to the ground. James sets the gas tank on his shoulder and starts jogging towards the truck. Glenn notices James leaving and follows.

"Glenn! Walkers in front!" James yells, still heading towards the truck. Glenn stops and firs three shots, successfully taking out two walkers lingering by the black vehicle. James reaches the truck and unscrews the gas cap. He begins pouring the fuel. Glenn fires more shots.

"They're getting to close!" Glenn yells. James pulls his pistol from his waistband and pulls the slide back, using his shoulder to hold the gas can. Glenn glances over his shoulder at James. "That'll just draw more attention!"

"Only if they get to close," James tells him calmly. He pulls the now empty gas can away from the truck and tosses it into the bed. Reaching in the driver side door, he turns the key, getting no response. "Shit!"

"What?" Glenn asks, pulling the trigger, receiving a click. "Dammit I'm out!"

James reaches into his pocket and pulls out a clip of ammo. He hands it to Glenn. Glenn struggles for a second, then pulls the empty clip out, quickly replacing it with the loaded one. He hands the empty one to James.

"I left the lights on when I went to get gas, now the battery is dead!" James tells him. Glenn curses and fires more shots. Walkers continue to stream from the woods, one by one. James climbs on the back tire and into the bed of the truck, frantically throwing items around.

"What are you doing?" Glenn yells, the fright obvious in his tone. James moves some more stuff around. _Please be here! Please be here! _James thinks to himself. "James?"

James looks towards the cab, and spots what he was looking for. He grabs the handle of a car battery and pulls it up, immediately jumping over the side of the truck. James moves around to the driver side of the truck, looking at the walkers streaming towards the two.

"Glenn, you've got to cover me. You hear me?" James tells him, shoving another clip into his chest. Glenn nods, the fear obvious on his face. James reaches into the truck and pulls the lever under the dash, in return popping the hood. James moves towards the front of the vehicle, battery in one hand, pistol in the other.

He sets the battery on the ground and lifts the hood up. He immediately starts unscrewing the positive cable from the dead battery. James looks up from under the hood, seeing a walker emerging from the woods behind the truck. James points his gun at the walker, nailing it between the eyes in a single shot, the louder shot ringing in James's ear. _I am not dying. Not today_.

James looks back at the hood and continues unscrewing the cables. Glenn's silent shots fill the air, followed by the sound of him reloading. "James!" James turns around, directly into the face of a walker. The walker grabs at James, pushing him back against the truck. James pulls up his pistol, still wrestling the walker back, its jaws chomping in James's face. He shoves the gun under the walkers chin and pulls the trigger, sending small chunks of brain and blood into the air.

James throws the walkers body back, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He takes in a deep breath and returns to his task, pulling the dead battery out and throwing it off the side of the highway. He tosses the new battery into the slot and begins screwing in the cables. Glenn steps next to James, breathing heavily.

"Why are you here? Shoot!" James yells at him, looking over his shoulder, not wanting any repeats. Glenn gives a slight smirk.

"I think I actually got them all, I think," Glenn says, doing a 360. James laughs, relieved. He finishes screwing on the negative cable and wipes his forehead.

"I'll tighten them later. Lets get the hell out of here," James says, closing the hood. He walks to the driver side door and climbs in the tall vehicle.

"Damn. Nice ride," Glenn compliments, sliding into the passenger seat. James smiles, and turns the key. The truck roars to life, causing Glenn to jump. "What the hell! You were worried about Daryl's truck being loud?"

"If you only knew. Ha, Daryl's truck isn't shit compared to this." He pulls down on the gear shift, putting it into drive. The truck lurches forward. James gives it a little gas and rolls over the mass of dead walkers littering the highway. James presses harder on the accelerator, and the truck jerks forward, James smiling in satisfaction. "Man I love this damn thing. Reach back there and grab that box of ammo for me, would ya?"

Glenn turns around and reaches a hand into the backseat. He yells and James slams on the breaks, causing the walkers head to hit the back of James's headrest. Glenn tries to turn the AR around to face the walker. "Wait! Don't shoot!" James yells. Glenn's eyes go wide as James jumps out of the truck and opens the back door. The walker falls out, landing hard on the ground.

James runs up towards the truck and yanks the AR from across the console, right out of Glenn's hands. James turns around and fires a single shot into the walkers head. He closes the back door and climbs back in, handing the AR back to Glenn.

"What the hell? You couldn't have just let me shoot it?" Glenn yells, his voice panicked. James looks at him crazy. "What?"

"Are you kidding me?" James steps on the gas. "I don't want brains all over my backseat."

**AN- So. What did you think? I kinda liked it actually. I hope I'm not the only one. Please review. It helps. I'm serious. Because truthfully, I really think it needed more detail, but I guess I'm neglecting to add it. But seriously, tell me what you think. Thanks for reading. I'll try to update soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN- Well my views shot up overnight. Made me happy. Thanks guys. Now for chapter 4. I'm going to try to make this one longer than the others, we'll see how that goes. **

**Chapter 4 - Is Sometimes Your Best Friend**

"You might want to at least grab that," James tells Glenn. The two had stopped to get anything out of Daryl's truck that he might need. James reaches under the leather driver side seat and pulls out a ziplock bag of narcotics. "Well, isn't that just lovely?"

"That looks like everything," Glenn says, carrying a black duffel bag of Daryl's stuff to James's truck. He opens the back door and sets it inside. James looks up, hearing twigs snap from behind. He draws up his AR and points it towards the sound. A walker emerges and spots James. It growls and charges, its face mostly missing.

James fires a shot, putting the walker in its place. Glenn runs around and stands by James's side, his pistol drawn. "Everything ok?" He asks. James nods and turns back to Daryl's truck. He grabs the bag of drugs up and examines it.

"Who's Merle? None of these have Daryl's name on it," James asks, reading a bottle of oxycotin.

"Merle is Daryl's brother. We kind of left him in Atlanta... Not on purpose of course. We were getting over run and well..." Glenn tells him. James raises an eyebrow at Glenn. "Yeah uh, Daryl wasn't too happy about that. He seemed to have gotten over it. But you leaving his truck won't help."

"Well if he can get over his brother, he can get over his truck. Now come on, that looks like everything." James gestures towards his truck and climbs in, turning the key. A smile crosses Glenn's face at the sound. "You like that a little too much."

"It's just cool is all. You have this big ass truck, and it's loud as hell," Glenn says excitedly. James chuckles.

"Well calm down, it's not that awesome. But wait till you see what I have in the back of the truck," James says, a smile crossing his face. He presses down on the accelerator and drives down the long highway. Glenn looks back, watching as Daryl's truck disappears from view. James reaches over and turns the radio up. Loud country music blasts through the speakers.

"Feels nice to listen to some music for a change. Nobody had a working radio, and Carol's car uses cassettes," Glenn tells him. James reaches over and pats him on the shoulder.

"I'm prepared for everything, trust me," James informs him. They turn onto an exit ramp from the highway to the interstate, and James presses the gas, the speedometer slowly rising. James leans back in his seat, keeping his eyes on the road. "How far up are we supposed to go?"

"I think it was about twenty miles up," Glenn tells him. "Why?"

"Just wondering. No matter how much I love this thing, it gets shitty gas mileage."

"What does it get?"

"It was originally 14 highway, but then I put a three inch lift kit on it, bigger tires, and a new exhaust system. It gets like nine to ten on the highway now," James replies. Glenn looks at him. "What?"

"This damn truck. You realize gas is at a shortage right?" James nods. "We can't just stop at the gas station and get what we need."

"Glenn, calm down for me, would ya?" James tells him, raising his hand. "I've been doing this for two months, just fine. I have a 30 gallon tank, and an extra 40 gallon auxiliary in the back."

"Well, maybe we can fill it up on the highway, where we're stuck in that traffic jam," Glenn tells him. James nods, pressing on the gas, the highway cleared for miles ahead. Glenn looks out the window, the trees passing by in a blur.

"What did you do before all this happened? Anything exciting?" James asks the asian. Glenn shakes his head and looks at him.

"No, nothing exciting. I was uh, I was a pizza delivery boy," he says very quietly. James turns the radio down a little.

"Not terrible, I guess. You can navigate well I bet?" Glenn nods. "Well that is a plus."

"Shit!" Glenn yells, pointing. James looks up, a small huddle of walkers standing in the street in front of them. James presses his foot down on the accelerator, the speedometer reading 90. "What are you doing?" He asks, grabbing the armrest.

"Too late to stop," James says nonchalantly. He smashes head on with three walkers, crushing them below the truck. Blood splatters on the windshield. James curses and turns his wipers on.

"You crazy son of a bitch!" Glenn yells, breathing heavily. James laughs and begins to slow as the traffic jam comes into view. He spots the path the RV took and navigates his truck in. "Never do that again."

"Well I could have stopped and let the walkers eat us. Would that have worked better for you?" James asks, stopping behind Carol's car. He opens the door and climbs out, immediately spotting Dale come out of the camper.

"Goodness son, that thing makes some noise. Where's Daryl's truck?" Dale asks, adjusting his bucket hat on his head. James rubs the back of his neck, looking away. "You left it didn't you? Oh goodness, I don't want to see how this is going to end."

James draws his weapon and points it at the woods. Glenn looks at him, then back at the woods. Daryl, Andrea, and Carol exit the woods on the side of the highway. James lowers his gun, looking at the three. "Where's everyone else?" Dale asks.

"We split up, after a slight church incident," Andrea tells them. James looks at Glenn.

"Was that those bells? You guys were ringing them?" Glenn asks, looking surprised.

"No chink, we didn't. I ain't stupid. It was some automatic bell shit at a church." Daryl tells Glenn. James looks at Daryl.

"So the others aren't back yet?" Carol asks. She looks a Dale, who is shaking his head.

"Who split up? Rick, Shane, Lori, and Carl?" Dale asks. The RV door opens, and T-Dog steps out, holing a bandage to his arm.

"Carl got shot," Andrea informs them. Their eyes get wide. James approaches her.

"What? What do you mean shot?" James asks, worry covering his face.

"I don't know exactly what happened. We split up, and maybe thirty minutes later, we heard a gunshot," Andrea says. James lets out a laugh, not from amusement, but from surprise.

"That damn gunshot almost got us killed," James says. "We had walkers coming out of nowhere. They were headed towards the sound."

"It wasn't us," Andrea says, holding her hands up in surrender. "We heard the shot too. Not ten minutes later, some girl on a horse rides up telling Lori to come with her. She said Rick had sent her, and then she said Carl was shot. While that was happening, we heard more gunshots."

"Yeah that was probably me," James says, patting his pistol tucked in his waistband. Dale looks at the group.

"So what now? Do we know where they are?" He asks. Daryl nods.

"They told us where to go. Said it's up the road a ways, then down some gravel road," Daryl tells the old man. Carol looks up at James, then over to Glenn.

"So we're just going to leave? Just like that? My little girl is out there! Somewhere in the woods, and she can't fend for herself!" Carol yells at them. James looks up in surprise.

"Well, maybe we can stay another night, and leave in the morning?" James suggests. He glances at T-Dog. "What happened?"

"He got cut a while back, when the uh, herd came through. It's bad. He's getting blood poisoning." Dale says.

"What? That's serious! Do we have any antibiotics? He has to get help!" Glenn panics. Daryl looks at James.

"I got some pills in my truck," Daryl looks back, searching the group of cars for his truck. "Where the hell is my truck?"

"We kind of left it." Glenn tells him. Daryl stares him down. He walks up and stands in his face. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't his choice. It was mine," James says, getting between the two. Daryl looks up at James, who is a good five inches taller than the redneck. Daryl shoves James back.

"You left my brothers truck? You son of a bitch! What the hell makes you think you had the right?" Daryl yells. James gets back in Daryl's face.

"Look here, it was backfiring like hell, and you were real low on gas. Plus that piece of shit wasn't running good any way. The gears were slipping constantly, and it just wasn't a good vehicle to have," James tells him, putting a finger in his face. Daryl pushes James finger away and punches him right in the jaw. James staggers back.

"You god damned son of a bitch! You don't have the right! I aughta kill you where you stand!" Daryl yells. He draws his crossbow up and points it at James. James recovers and looks at Daryl. He pats his hand on his chest, gesturing for Daryl to fire. Daryl stares at James, who had just challenged him.

Daryl raises his crossbow and brings the butt of the weapon down towards James. He dodges, and elbows Daryl in the stomach. Daryl drops his crossbow and steps back, wheezing. James spins around, landing a roundhouse kick in Daryl chest, causing him to fall on his back. James stands over the man, and flips him on his back, pulling his arms behind him. James sets his knee on Daryl's arms and leans towards his face.

"Don't you dare ever hit me again, or I'll wipe you off this planet, you hear me?" James says, putting all his anger into his voice. Daryl struggles against him and James gets off. The redneck stands up, grabbing his crossbow. He spits at James's feet and stomps off into the woods.

"Holy shit. You just kicked Dixon's ass!" Glenn says, a look of amazement on his face. James shrugs and storms off towards his truck. Andrea follows him. James stops by the driver side and opens the door. Andrea grabs his shoulder.

"Are you ok?" The blonde asks. Jams nods and digs in his console for something. "Look at me."

"What?" James says, still aggravated. "I'm fine. Seriously."

"You just took Daryl Dixon to the ground with ease. How did you do that? What did you do before all this?" She asks him. James adjusts himself in his seat to face her leaning against the door.

"Military. I served three years overseas." Andrea looks at him.

"What happened?" She questions. James wipes his face, exhausted. "Never mind. You don't have to tell me."

"No, it's fine. I was honorably discharged. My convoy got ambushed, and everyone killed except for me. I was shot three times in the leg, once in the chest. Got a purple heart for it." Andrea puts her hand over her mouth.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Andrea comforts him. She sets her hand on his knee.

"It's fine, thank you." He turns around and reaches into the backseat and pulls out Daryl's bag of drugs. "Here. Take this to T-Dog. There might be something he can use in there."

Andrea takes the bag and looks at James. He leans his seat back and gets comfortable. "I'm going to take a nap. Just wake me up if you guys need me." Andrea nods and walks off, looking over her shoulder at James. He closes the door and stretches in the driver seat. Five minutes later, he drifts off.

_-Flashback-_

_ James spins the .50 Cal around, looking at the M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank following behind his Humvee. "What's it look like up there Sergeant Smith?" Yells Major Nelly from the passenger seat. They were the in the third Humvee back in the convoy, followed by two tanks and an armored troop carrier. James bends down and gives the thumbs up to the Major._

_ He looks back up, scanning the area for any sign of the Taliban. Three years. Three years James had been fighting for his country. In two days, he'd finally get to go home. Not like he has anything to go back to. His house had been foreclosed, and his car was a piece of shit. James sighs. At least it's not here, he thinks to himself. _

_ "Sargent Smith! Keep an eye on those buildings to our left. Don't want any problems," the Major orders him. James replies with a "hooah" and spins the fifty towards the dilapidated buildings. An explosion throws James back into the Humvee, and he looks forward out the windshield. The lead Humvee, Alpha 1, crashes to the ground. A road side IED had gotten it._

_ Gunfire fills the air. "Ambush! Ambush! Get out of the vehicles!" Major Charles yells from Alpha 2. James opens the armored Door and climbs out, his M16 in hand. He scans the area, looking for muzzle flashes. A bullet whizzes by his head, and he drops to the ground. James crawls towards a large boulder on the other end of the street. _

_ Major Nelly crouches around Alpha 3, his M16 at his shoulder. James waves a hand to get his attention. The major starts making his way towards James. "RPG!" Yells a soldier to James's right. A streak of black passes over James's head and crashes into Alpha 3. The vehicle explodes, sending chunks of metal flying. James recovers and looks around. Major Nelly is nowhere to be found._

_ "Shit, shit, shit ,shit," James curses, moving around the boulder. A bullet ricochets off the hard rock and into James chest. He yells, the bullet proof vest absorbing most of the shock. _

_ "Smith!" Major Charles yells. James looks to his left and spots the Major. He crawls towards him on his stomach. "We're losing men fast out there. We need to regroup." James nods and assesses the situation. James hears footsteps. He draws his weapon up as a member of the Taliban runs around the corner, firing his weapon_

_ Three shots his Major Charles in the chest; he yells and grabs at his shirt. James fires his weapon, hitting the enemy. He fires three more shots as he falls, all three hitting James's out stretched leg. James drops his weapon and looks over at Major Charles, blood streaming from his mouth. James tries to crawl towards him, but he pulls back and looks at his leg. "Oh shit," he curses, and then blacks out._

James wakes up, sweat beading on his forehead, his breathing heavy. He leans back in his seat, looking around. _Friggin shit. How long did I sleep?_ James asks himself. He looks out the dark window, trying to spot the RV. He reaches for his AR in the passenger seat, only to grab someone's arm. He yanks his arm back and looks to his right.

"Andrea?" James whispers. "Andrea? What are you doing?" She moans and her eye lids flutter. She wakes up and looks at James.

"Oh, sorry. The RV was getting to be a little uncomfortable, so I crashed here. Figured it'd be alright, especially in case something happens." James rubs his eyes and looks at her.

"Yeah, it's fine. How was everyone when I passed out?" He asks her.

"T-Dog was great full for the pills, but he kept getting worse. He and Glenn left a few hours ago to find Rick, Lori, and Shane. Glenn also told me to tell you he filled up both tanks of gas for you."

"Wait, Glenn filled my entire truck? That's a lot of work," James says, surprised. Andrea shrugs. "Did Daryl ever come back?"

She shakes her head, the exhaustion clear in her eyes. James thinks for a second, but is quickly interrupted by his stomach growling. He reaches in the backseat and grabs a can of ravioli and a fork. He grabs another and offers it to Andrea. She accepts with a smile and adjusts herself in the seat to face James.

"So, what brought you here?" She asks, taking a bite of ravioli. "Aren't you from Kentucky?"

James nods. "I was just trying to stay on the move. After everything happened, they said move to the bigger cities. I tried Memphis, but that place was horrible. So my next best bet was Atlanta."

"Atlanta was pretty bad too," She tells him. James nods in agreement, taking a bite of food. She point to her chin. "You got something there." James wipes his chin and raises an eyebrow. "Nope still there." He wipes the other side. Andrea laughs and leans over. She takes her thumb and wipes the red sauce off James.

"Thanks," James tells her, looking her in the eyes. She smiles and leans back into her seat. They finish their meals in silence. Five minutes later, Andrea looks at the review mirror, her eyebrow rising. "What?"

"Look! There looks like there are some headlights flashing way down the highway," she tells him. James looks out the back window, spotting what she was talking about.

"You're right. Those are headlights. But who would be doing that? You think T-Dog and Glenn ran into some trouble?" He asks. She shrugs her shoulders. "Hold on."

James opens the door and hops out, walking towards the back of his truck. He drops the tailgate and climbs in, opening a toolbox attached to the driver side. He pulls out a second AR, just as fully equipped as the first, and two clips of ammo. He closes the toolbox and jumps down off the rear of the truck. He closes the tailgate and walks back to the driver side. Andrea looks at him as he climbs in.

"What's that?" Andrea asks him. He hands her the weapon. "Oh. Wait." She reaches into the backseat and pulls out James's other AR. "You have two?"

"Actually I have five AR's, but only three are silenced," he tells her. Her jaw drops, and James laughs. "Now come on. Let's go see what those lights are."

James starts his truck and puts flips a switch on the dash. "What's that do?" Andrea asks him.

"Four wheel drive. I'm not getting out of here easily," he says. He puts the truck in reverse and back up into the median. The soft ground from the rain the night before causes James's tires to sink in. He presses the gas, sending chunks of mud and rocks across the center of the highway. The truck gains traction and moves forward.

"Well that probably woke everyone up," Andrea says, surprised at the noise his truck made. James navigates out of the traffic jam and steps on the gas. The headlights quickly come into view. James switches to his bright lights and squints out the window. "Oh shit, Its Daryl's truck!"

James stops his truck, his eyes widening at the sight before him. Thirty or so walkers crawl over the truck. "Shit Andrea. I think he's in there!" James tells her. H pulls the charging handle back on his AR. He loads the other AR and hands it to Andrea. "Don't miss."

Andrea nods and the two push their doors open, flashlights on. James fires five shots, trying not to hit the truck. Four walkers fall to the ground. Andrea fires a lone shot, and a walker slides off the hood, pushing two more down. Andrea fires her AR at the two walkers on the ground, killing them.

James steps around Daryl's truck, carefully firing more shots at the small horde of walkers. Andrea screams and James swings his gun around. Two walkers pull Andrea down, her AR lying at her feet. James curses and runs at the two walkers, tackling them off of her. He wrestles the walkers to the ground, their jaws snapping at his arms. Andrea grabs her AR and fires at the two walkers, nearly hitting James.

James recovers, pulling his AR back to his shoulder, and fires at two more walkers. Their attention now focused on James, Andrea takes out a couple of more walkers. "Andrea!" James yells, firing three shots at a walker approaching her from behind. She looks at him and pushes a strand of hair off of her face. "Watch yourself."

The two finish off the last few walkers, a small ring of bodies encircling the truck. The truck door opens, and Daryl steps out. He eyes widen a bit at his welcoming committee. "Yeah, I guess you're right. That truck is a piece of shit."

**AN- And there we have it folks. Chapter four. Hope you like it. I tried to make it longer, and well, I did. So leave me some reviews. I'm not the best at writing descriptively. So if you have any tips, seriously leave me some.**


	5. Chapter 5 - Cherokee Rose

**AN – Well, I'm gonna try to add more descriptive detail in this chapter. Also, I'm gonna try to make this one just as long, if not longer than the last one. Also, thank you mis138138 for being my one and only reviewer. She is also the author of an excellent story: The Sound of Silence. It's a truly great read. Anyway, here we go.**

**Chapter 5 – Cherokee Rose**

James rubs the back of his head with his sweaty palm. Daryl looks at him, crossbow in hand. "Well, now that we saved your ass, how's say we head back up the road?" James tells him. Daryl slams the door of the old truck and walks towards James and Andrea.

"I was doin just fine, even before y'all showed up," Daryl exclaims. James lets out a sarcastic laugh. "I coulda dealt with em myself."

"Daryl, we all know that isn't true. There were easily two dozen geeks on your truck," Andrea tells the redneck, who had been glaring at her. He breaks his gaze and looks at James. "We saw your headlights and came to check it out. Why would you go off by yourself like that?"

"I can handle myself dammit!" He yells. James raises up a hand, trying to calm the man. "I don't need a bunch of people following me around."

"We are a team in this group Daryl. You are a member, and we care for each other. We don't need one another running off solo just because they think they're some badass who can fend for themselves constantly," James explains. Daryl steps forward, carefully avoiding over the walker bodies littering the ground, and heads towards James. "Look I'm not looking for trouble."

Daryl brushes by between James and Andrea. "I'm goin back to camp," he tells them. James and Andrea look at each other and shrug their shoulders.

"Come on, let's head back too. No reason to worry anybody," Andrea tells him. James nods and begins walking towards his truck. Andrea grabs his shoulder, spinning him around. James raises an eyebrow. "I just have one question. About you and Rick being related."

"Okay, shoot. What is it?" James asks, leaning against the front grill of his truck, his AR swinging loosely at his side.

"You said you two were brothers, but I'm lost. You have different last names, right?" Andrea asks, standing in front of James. He pushes himself off the truck and sighs. "Never mind. You don't have to tell me."

"No no, it's fine. I'm used to telling the story at this point," James says, pulling his AR's shoulder strap off and setting his weapon, and the one in Andrea's hand, on the hood of his truck. "We actually have different dads. My dad divorced our mom 38 years ago. I didn't really know him, in fact, now that I've heard more about him, I'm glad I didn't."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Andrea says, patting James's arm in comfort.

"Anyway, maybe a year later, mom remarried again, this time to Rick's dad. They had Rick, not to long after that. I never changed my last name, but I always loved my step dad. Anyway, that's pretty much it," James explains. "Rick may be my younger brother, but he has always been more successful. I got jealous and said some things I shouldn't have two years ago. This is the first time I've seen or talked to him since."

"Goodness. I'm not really sure what to say. I'm glad you were able to find him, not dead and all," Andrea says. James gives a half-hearted smile. He grabs the two silenced AR's off the hood and turns towards the truck. "James, one last question. Were you ever married? You say you're about 40. Guy like you seems like you'd have a nice woman tagging along."

James shakes his head. "No, I haven't. I had a girlfriend when I shipped out overseas, but I found out she cheated. That wasn't what I wanted to come home to," he tells her. Andrea takes a few steps towards him and puts her hand on his chest.

"That's terrible," she tells him. James looks down at the blonde, her hand still on his chest. She plants a kiss on his lips, the surprise almost causing him to pass out. She pulls back and smiles, pulling her hand of his chest. James stands there in shock, not having expecting that from the girl he had just met. She looks at him, her head slightly tilted. "What? I'm sorry. I just kind of, well, did it."

James puts his head behind Andrea's head and leans in for another kiss. He pulls away, a slight smile crossing his face. He jerks his head towards the black truck, engine still on. Andrea walks around the vehicle, climbing up onto the fabric covered seats. James opens the back door and sets the two AR's in, Andrea watching his every move. He climbs in the driver side and looks over to the blonde.

"I guess I didn't bother you?" Andrea asks. James shakes his head. He leans back in his seat and closes his eyes. Last time he had kissed a girl, was right before he deployed. That was almost six years ago. He smiles, feeling the warmth of Andreas hand on his arm, his skin tingling from the touch. "We should probably head back. I'd imagine old Dale is getting worried."

James pulls the gear shift down and lightly presses on the gas. His tires grab the concrete and the truck creeps forward, slowly driving over the dead walkers. He does a U-turn behind Daryl's truck and heads back towards camp. "I know it's not right to ask a woman her age, but how old are you?" James questions, keeping his eye on the road.

"I'm 36. Still younger than you," she tells him. James keeps driving. He presses the brakes as the first few cars from the traffic jam come into view. The two pull up behind the RV and James turns off his truck. The sound of the motor running leaves the cab and silence fills the area. James spots Daryl talking to Dale outside the camper. "Let's see what they have to say, shall we?"

James nods and pushes open his door. He jumps out and walks around the truck, meeting up with Andrea. They join Daryl and Dale in front of the RV. "You still shouldn't have gone out there alone," the old man lectures. Daryl stands in front of him, crossbow hanging limply at his side, a bored and irritated expression on his face.

"Daryl? Is that you?" A voice calls from the old Winnebago. Carol steps out, rubbing her red eyes. She had been crying. She spots Daryl and runs up to him, pulling him into a hug. He holds his hands above her. "I was worried sick about you! Don't go off like that by yourself again!"

He pulls her off of her and looks at the four people standing in front of him. "I ain't two! I can fend fer my damn self. I don't need y'all folks up my ass the whole time!" He yells. He walks off towards the woods. Andrea looks up at James.

"I'll go try and talk to him," she says, trotting off to catch up to the enraged redneck. They disappear into the woods.

"Thanks for helping him out James. I know you two aren't the closest friends and all," Dale tells James. He nods and turns towards his truck.

"I'm gonna try and sleep. If you need me, I'll be in my truck," James says over his shoulder. He spots Dale, eyebrows high on his head, looking at him. Dale looks away and ushers Carol back into the RV. James stops, rubbing his face and letting out a sigh. He opens his truck door and climbs into the seat, immediately leaning his seat back. _I just need sleep_, he thinks to himself as his eyelids begin to droop. He stretches his feet out under the dash and drifts off into sleep.

James wakes up, startled by the sound of something tapping his window. He squints, his eyes not adjusted to the now rising sun. He hears the tapping sound again, and looks to his left and sees Andrea standing at the door. He unlocks it and she opens it. "Something wrong?" James groggily asks.

"No, but Dale is thinking about leaving to head and find that farm. Carol isn't too happy about it, but it might be for the best. Daryl and I didn't find anything last night when we looked," she tells him. James sighs.

"I feel damn sorry for her. But maybe it really is for the best. Well I'm packed up whenever y'all are ready to leave," James tells her, adjusting himself to face her. She pats his knee and uses her other hand to throw up a thumbs up at Dale, who is poking his head out the door of the RV.

"Ok then, I guess we are all ready. Daryl says he knows the way, so he'll take point on his bike, and Carol will take Rick and Lori's truck. You mind taking the rear behind the RV?" She asks him. James nods. "Alright. Well I join Dale in the RV, and off we go."

James watches as Andrea walks off towards the RV. She looks over her shoulder at the man staring at her and smiles. James breaks his gaze. _What are you doing man! You barely know the chick!_ James starts his truck and lets it run, pressing on the gas a little. He checks his driver side mirror and sees Daryl walking towards his truck. James rolls the window down.

"I'll move up a bit. Dale is gonna have to back that big piece of shit up into the ditch to turn it around. Let's just hope he doesn't get stuck," Daryl tells him, apparently cooled off from the night before. James nods and watches as the RV in front of him begins rolling backwards. Dale navigates the behemoth around the decaying cars and into the ditch. He stops and puts it into drive. James watches the back tires spin in the mud on the side of the highway.

"Son of a bitch," James curses. He rolls his window back down to greet Andrea, who had jumped out of the RV to speak to James. He raises an eyebrow as she approaches.

"Yeah, well we figured it would happen, but now we're screwed," she tells him. James shakes his head and holds up a finger. He puts his truck into drive and pulls forward, avoiding the closely packed cars. He pulls in front of the RV and backs up right in front of the RV. James hops out and jogs around to the back of his truck.

"What are you doing?" Dale asks, stepping out of the RV. Carol and Daryl also join the small huddle. "We can just leave the RV."

"Nah I won't make you do that," James tells the old man, patting him on the shoulder. He opens the tailgate and climbs in, reaching under a case of water. He pulls out a heavy duty tow rope. "Here Daryl, hook me up."

James passes Daryl the rope over the side of the truck, and James jumps down. "This truck gonna be able to pull that big ass piece a shit out?" Daryl asks. James nods his head, helping Daryl run the rope through the hooks under James's truck. James wraps the other end of the thick rope around the RV's steel frame.

"Shit! James watch out!" Andrea yells, pointing over James's shoulder. James is pushed to the ground, struggling, he tries to flip himself over as a walker chomps at his face. He grabs the walker's arms, trying to keep it from scratching him. Carol screams and backs up towards the RV. A second walker emerges from the driver side of James's truck and grabs at James's black boots.

_If I die here damnit!_ James curses at himself. He kicks at the second walker, still fighting off the first walker that's pinning him to the concrete. The walker's jaws snap closer to James's face. "You son of a bitch!" Daryl yells, kicking the walker off of James. Daryl raises his crossbow and puts a bolt between his eyes. James reaches for his glock that had fallen out of his waistband during the struggle. He grabs it and flips the safety off. He aims and pulls the trigger, hitting the second walker in the temple. Blood splatters his boots.

He lays his head on the concrete, worn out from the struggle. Daryl stands over James, offering him a hand. James grabs his rough, calloused hand and Daryl pulls him to his feet. "Now we're even," Daryl tells him, yanking his bolt out of the first walkers head. He wipes it on his pants.

"Let's just get this shit done and get the hell out of here," James orders. He checks the rope and walks around to the driver side of his truck, already forgetting the close call with death. Andrea climbs in the passenger seat next to him. She looks at him, jaw slightly agape. "What?"

"You just blew that off like it was nothing! Are you kidding? You almost died!" Andrea scowls at him. James looks in his review at Daryl, who his gesturing for James to pull forward. James presses on the gas, and the two vehicle lurch forward.

"Yeah, so?" James asks, carefully guiding his truck and the RV out of the ditch.

"Woah! Yer good!" Daryl yells. James smirks.

"Yeah, so? Really? What do you mean yeah so? You could have died damnit!"

"Why does it matter to you so much if I did anyway?" James asks. Andrea looks at him, her mouth open. She shakes her head and climbs out of the truck, moving towards the RV. "Alrighty then," he says under her breath. Daryl unhooks the tow rope and tosses it in the back of the truck. He slams on the side of the truck, the signal for James to pull up.

He navigates his truck through the jam and back onto the open highway, the RV on his tail. He pulls over behind Rick's truck. Daryl walks up next to his truck. "Farm isn't but a ten minute drive from here. You got gas?" he asks.

"Yeah fully loaded. I'll follow up behind Dale," James tells the redneck. He nods and walks towards his black bike parked in front of Rick's truck. Daryl starts his bike as Carol climbs into Rick's vehicle. James watches as the two vehicles pull forward and the RV drives by his driver side window. James lets off the brakes and catches up to the RV. "Jesus Dale, lead foot much?"

James checks the speedometer, reading 75. He laughs, surprised the old Winnebago could get to going that fast. Dale's break lights flash as they come up on an exit off the highway. James slows down and follows the convoy up the on ramp. He spots Daryl as they come around the curve, crossbow slung over his shoulder. Daryl squeezes his hand break and pulls off onto a gravel road. James turns up his music and smiles.

Five minutes of driving later, a large open prairie comes into view. Directly in front of James, he sees a large white farmhouse. Off in the distance, he spots a barn. He looks forward, watching as the Winnebago stops in front of the house. James pulls to a stop, and reaches into the backseat for an AR. On the porch, he spots Rick, with Lori at his side, both looking as if they'd been crying, behind them, on older grey headed man steps onto the porch. James walks around the front of the truck and stops in front of Lori and Rick.

"He's fine," Rick tells James. James nods and pulls Lori in for a hug. She starts crying into his shoulder. "This here is Hershel. Without him, carl probably wouldn't have made it."

"What happened?" James asks, still holding Lori. Rick rubs his chin.

"There was a hunting accident. Carl was shot by a man named Otis. Otis led us here to Hershel," Rick tells him. Shane steps onto the porch, his head completely shaved. James raises an eyebrow. "Otis and Shane went into town to find some supplies for surgery. Otis… he didn't make it."

"I'm sorry for your loss," James says, looking up at Hershel. Lori breaks away from James and stands back on the porch with Rick. James walks up to the old man, his AR slung over his shoulder. "James Smith. Rick's brother."

The old man nods at James. "Hershel Greene. Welcome to my farm." He says. James gives a brief smile and backs down the stairs as the others introduce each other. James gestures for Rick to come to him. Rick looks at Lori and she jerks her head towards James, letting him know she's ok. Rick steps off the porch and stand by James.

"What's the matter?" Rick asks. James shakes his head.

"Nothing. I'm glad to hear Carl is ok. I was worried sick with everyone split up. How's T-Dog?" James asks with a look of concern on his fa

"He's fine. Hershel treated him. Any more waiting and he could've died," Rick tells him flat out.

"Glad it didn't happen. So what's the situation?" James asks. Before Rick can reply, Hershel clears his throat from the porch. Everyone turns to face him.

"I see that this group relies largely on guns for protection. Now I can assure you this farm is safe. The only other person that knew how to use guns here was Otis. Now this being my farm, I'm gonna have to ask you to keep the guns put away," He announces. Small murmurs erupt from the group.

"Now Hershel, everyone here is trained in gun safety. Especially James who is ex-military. No matter how safe the farm is, we could help keep it safer if we have our guns," Rick negotiates. Several members of the group nod their heads, including James.

"This isn't up for a discussion. My farm, my rules," Hershel says firmly. "Now my house isn't big enough for everyone, so let me suggest you folks set up camp off over there." He points to a small patch of trees to the right of the house. "There's a pump with working water. Take all you want. Rick, you and Lori are welcome to stay in the house with Carl as he recovers."

Rick nods his head at Hershel and turns back towards James. "Hope you don't mind sleeping outside," he says. James shrugs. "Feel free to start setting up over there. I'll come over in a bit to talk to you guys."

James nods and turns towards his truck. He meets Andrea's gaze, who quickly looks away. James sighs, and opens the back driver side door of his truck. He sets his AR inside. He reaches for his glock but shakes his head._ I respect the old man, but I'll feel safer._ James climbs into his truck and starts the motor, causing several heads to turn. He backs up and tears off towards the camp.

Once he arrives, he hops out, watching Dale pull his Winnebago up to the left side of the new camp. James walks over to Carol. "Hey Carol. Need some help?" James asks, watching the older woman set up her tent. She shakes her head. James starts to say something, but stops, leaving her be. He walks towards Glenn, who is discussing something with a dark haired girl. He stops next to them.

"Oh hey James. This is Maggie, Hershel's daughter," Glenn introduces the two. James nods at the young girl. "We were about to head to town for some supplies. Need anything?"

James thinks for a second before shaking his head. "No I can't say I do. But hey Glenn, let me talk to you for a second," James says, gesturing for Glenn to follow. He looks back to the girl, Maggie, and follows James to his truck. James opens the back door and grabs an AR. "Look, I don't like the idea of you going into town, it's not safe. That's where a large portion of them will be centered. Just in case, take this."

Glenn takes the AR and nods his head. "Thanks. Thanks James. I'll bring it back good as new," he tells James. James pats the Asian boys shoulder and he walks off, leaving James leaning against his truck. James wipes his face, feeling the dirt spread around. _A damn bath would be nice_.

James closes his door and leans against his truck, looking out across the camp. Daryl throws his bag of his bike into his tent and looks up at James. He walks over, crossbow in hand. "How's it going Daryl?"

"Fine. I didn't see Rick or Shane, so I'll let you know. I'm going out to look for Sophia, so if anyone asks," Daryl informs him. James nods and pats him on the shoulder.

"Be careful," James says, trying to give some words of advice. Daryl gives thumbs up and walks towards the woods behind the camp. James leans back against his truck, hearing footsteps. Rick walks around the front and stands next to him.

"How's everything going?" Rick asks, looking out over camp. James shrugs.

"Glenn went to town with that girl. Don't know what for. And Daryl just left to look for Sophia some more," James tells him. Rick nods.

"Hershel wanted me to tell you all that the showers in the house work, so feel free to take one." James smiles a little.

"Shit, I might have to take that offer. I'm tired of washing off in creeks and ponds," James laughs. "I'm gonna take one now then."

Rick pats him on the shoulder and walks off towards the RV. James opens his back door and rummages through the floor board and pulling out a duffel bag. He unzips it and pulls out a clean pair of blue jeans, a black t-shirt, a pair of underwear, and a pair of socks. He tosses the bag in the seat and spins towards the house, closing his door behind him.

He reaches the front door and knocks. He is greeted by a short blonde girl. "Yes?" She asks.

"Uh, Rick said that Hershel said the showers were free to use. I was just coming to use one," James tells the girl. She opens the screen door and lets him in. "I don't think I've met you. May I ask your name?"

"I'm Beth. Maggie's little sister and Hershel's daughter," she tells James.

"Well, nice to meet you. I'm James Smith, Rick's brother and Carl's uncle," he replies. She leads him up a flight of stairs and into a bedroom.

"You can use the shower in that bathroom right over there," she says in a sweet voice, pointing across the room. James smiles at the girl and walks across the bedroom and into the bathroom. He closes the door and turns to the mirror, looking at his dirt covered face. He strips down and steps into the shower, turning the faucet on and letting the water wash all the dirt off his skin.

James spends thirty more minutes in the shower before deeming himself clean. He steps out and grabs a towel of the drying rack. Someone knocks on the door. "Someone's in here," James says. The door opens anyway, and James quickly covers himself. Andrea steps in. "Oh. Hey." She stands there staring at him. James shifts uncomfortably. She raises a blonde eyebrow at him. "What?"

"What do you mean what?" She scowls. James looks at her, confused. "You could have got killed on the highway just an hour ago and you're perfectly fine?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" He asks, still looking confused.

"Then you asked why it mattered so much to me. Are you an idiot? Everything that's happened today. Can't you see?" She says, trying to keep her voice down.

"See what?" James asks, still oblivious to Andrea's point. She steps closer to James, still standing in nothing but his towel. She looks down and his abs, and slowly back up at him. She plants a kiss on his lips.

"I like you, James Smith. I thought I had something with Shane, but I lost it when I saw you. I don't know what it is," Andrea tells him, staring at him. James takes a deep breath.

"I guess I wasn't expecting that. I'm not all that good with girls. I don't know the signs."

"I kissed you, for one. Was that not obvious?" She says with an irritated tone in her voice.

"A friendly peck on the lips? I don't know," James says. She looks at him, her eyes slightly squinted.

"You kissed me back, James," she says. James thinks back to earlier in the day.

"Oh yeah," he says, remembering the incident.

"Yeah, like I said." James stands there, watching her look at him. She shakes her head and walks out of the bathroom. James frantically gets dressed and follows her out, running to catch up with her. She stops in the front yard and looks at him. "Well?"

"I… I don't know Andrea. I guess I did feel something when I first saw you, but I wasn't a hundred percent on what it was," he tells her. She shrugs her shoulders and keeps walking. He grabs her shoulder and spins her around. She looks at him, surprised. He kisses her, hard and passionately on the lips. She leans into the kiss, pulling his head down towards her. James grabs her waist and pulls her closer. Someone clears their throat, and the two separate quickly.

Rick stands in front of the two, eyebrows raised. James rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed. "You two did having fun?" He asks.

"Uh, yeah. Something wrong?" James asks, glancing at Andrea, who is messing with her shirt.

"Glenn and Maggie are back, but we kind of found something in the well," Rick says, gesturing for the two to follow. James adjusts his glock in his waistband and follows behind Andrea. They walk over towards camp, a small well sticking out of the ground. "See check it out."

James walks towards the well, standing next to Glenn. "Hey buddy, that was fast. Everything went ok?" James asks Glenn, looking down into the well. Below him, a waterlogged walker, growling up at the group.

"Yeah, just fine. Your AR is in your truck. Only used it once," Glenn tells him. James pats his shoulder and turns back towards Rick, who was having a conversation with Shane, who now had a shaved head. James walks over and joins the conversation.

"Nice hairdo, bud," James jokes. Shane glares at him and returns to his conversation.

"We don't want its blood to contaminate the water. We can't just shoot it," Rick says. James looks back and forth between the two debating with each other.

"Well let's try and rope it up. We have enough guys to pull it up," Shane suggests. Rick rubs his chin in thought, and then nods.

"Ok. We can do that. But we can't rope it easily. Someone has to go down there and do it," Rick says. The three turn and look at Glenn, who raises an eyebrow then frowns. Shane runs off, probably to get some rope, and Rick and James walk over to the Asian.

"What?" He asks, looking back and forth between James and Rick.

"We've got to get a rope around that fat son of a bitch to haul him up. Someone has to go down there to do it," James breaks the news. Glenn's eyes widen a bit. "Sorry buddy."

"I guess I'll do it. Let's go, before I change my mind," Glenn says. Shane runs back up with a long black rope in his hand. He tosses it to James.

"Ok, I'm gonna do this like we do in the military. I'll tie this around you, and me, Rick, and Shane will lower you down." Glenn nods, swallowing the lump in his throat. T-Dog walks up to the group. "Oh hey T-Dog. Haven't seen you since we got here. How's the arm?"

"It's good so far. Anything I can do?" he asks, looking at James. James thinks for a second then nods.

"Yeah, help us lower Glenn down. It'll make it a lot easier," James says. James ties the rope around Glenn and they walk to the edge of the well. James hands him another rope. "Ok, T-Dog, you're up front cause you're the biggest. We lower him down, he attaches the rope, and we haul him up."

Rick tosses the rope over a four by four spanning the open well. Glenn and the others position themselves. "Be careful Glenn!" Maggie tells him, standing behind the five men. Glenn gives the girl a smile and begins his decent. James slowly feeds the other three rope from the back as Glenn is lowered further down.

"Alright! I think I can get it on him!" Glenn yells. The walker growls and reaches for Glenn. T-Dog stands firm, holding most of the weight. Glenn lowers the extra rope over the walker, trying to position it around his torso. "I got it!"

"Alright, on three, we start pulling," Rick tells the other three. "One, two, three!"

SNAP!

The four by four holding Glenn up snaps in half, falling into the well. Glenn falls further into the well, just in reach of the walker. Glenn frantically kicks as the others try and pull him out. Maggie and Andrea run towards James and help pull on the rope. The group hauls Glenn up and he scrambles to his feet, breathing heavily.

"Son of a bitch!" Glenn yells. James wipes the sweat off his brow and walks over to the well. "I am never doing that again!"

Maggie runs over and hugs Glenn, then backs off. "Guys, sorry to break up the reunion, but that fat bitch is still down there," James says. The five guys walk over to the well and grab the second rope. "Ok. One, two, three!"

The five men pull the rope, and the walker rises from the well. "Keep pulling! He's coming up!" Andrea yells, watching the walker rise. Suddenly, the rope loses a lot of pull, and Andrea screams. The men pull harder, bringing the upper torso of the walker up.

"That's just great," Shane says. Shane grabs a nearby piece of wood and begins bashing the walker's brains in. "We didn't want our water contaminated by this fat piece of shit and it still was!"

"Shane calm down!" Rick yells. He pulls Shane off the walker and pushes him back. "It'll be ok. Hershel said there are more wells, we will be fine!"

Shane looks over everyone and storms off. James runs his hand through his hair, looking at Andrea. She smiles at him and walks over. "I think we were in the middle of something, weren't we?" Andrea tells him. James raises an eyebrow.

"Let me set my tent up first. Then tonight, why don't you stop by?" James asks, a smirk crossing his face.

"Is that you asking me on a date?" She asks. James shrugs and starts walking towards his truck.

"I'll let you figure that one out yourself," James replies. He looks over his shoulder at the blonde, still standing where he let her. _Oh hell. Look what you've gotten yourself into now._

**AN- So, what did you think? That was a really long chapter. I tried to finish off the equivalent to episode 4 of season 2. I'm not the best at explaining love stories, so I hope it was alright. Also, I know I've updated every night, but that will probably change. Another thing, I need to know if you like the longer chapters, or the shorter ones. Just let me know your thoughts or feelings in a review. Thanks guys!**


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